Four Works You Probably Missed at the Prado

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The only problem with Madrid's Prado: It art museum contains too many masterpieces. To help fend off art overload on your next visit, we asked local experts to clue us into some of the museum's lesser-known gems…

Boys on the Beach, oil on canvas by Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida, 1910

The only problem with Madrid's Prado: It contains too many masterpieces. To help fend off art overload on your next visit, we asked local experts to clue us into some of the museum's lesser-known gems…

Artist Unknown, Head of a Horse (circa 515 BCE)

One of the oldest works of art in the entire Prado collection—housed in one of the often overlooked classical sculpture rooms—is an early Greek sculpture entitled Head of a Horse from the 6th century BCE, which still bears traces of the original paint. The deceptively simple linear style of the sculpture was a source of inspiration not only to the Roman civilization that followed but also to early modern artists such as Picasso.

Artist Unknown, Original Sin (12th century)

Another underappreciated collection: a set of 12th-century fresco paintings from the Romanesque church of Vera Cruz de Maderuelo in the nearby town of Segovia. In fact, the fresco paintings have been transferred to canvas and carefully reconstructed to look as if they are in the interior of a small church. The frescoes depict the Old Testament story of Adam and Eve and the figures’ lean, abstract bodies offer a nice contrast to the fleshier interpretation of the human body carved by Roman sculptors and painted by artists such as Titian, Rubens, and Goya.

Rembrandt van Rijn, Judith at the Banquet of Holofernes (1634)

This superb Rembrandt is near the museum's popular Goya section, but many visitors miss it, and that's a shame, says art historian Almudena Cros Gutierrez. The painting's technique and fine details are impressive—so realistic, in fact, that many visitors have asked Gutierrez if the chain hanging over Judith's fur collar is real.

Joaquín Sorolla, And They Say Fish Are Expensive! (1894) and Boys on the Beach (1909)

If you’re tired of looking at paintings of aristocrats and kings, Gutierrez suggests visiting the works of Joaquín Sorolla, a Spanish artist largely unknown outside of Spain. And They Say Fish Are Expensive! is a moving criticism of the harsh working conditions experienced by fishermen in the 19th century. Despite the controversial subject matter of the earlier work, the softness of the colors and the brightness of the light makes the artist’s criticism of the working conditions both subtle and touching. The artist was best known for his ability to capture the blinding sun of his native Valencia, which can perhaps be seen best in his later Boys on the Beach (pictured).